by Ella Jade
“Seriously?” He risked a sidelong glance at her.
The arousal shining from his pale green eyes in the dim light detonated something inside her, but she held his gaze until he turned his attention back to the traffic.
“I just might have to hold you to that.” His eyes didn’t leave the road this time, but his voice conveyed a wealth of promise.
“Well, I don’t eat much junk food,” she teased, “so I probably wouldn’t do it anyway.”
His fingers walked up the inside of her thigh. Cat closed her legs, trapping his hand against her core.
Chad didn’t let her resistance deter him as he stroked her through the fabric of her slacks. “Open for me, honey,” he coaxed.
As much as she wanted to, her thighs remained locked. Two can play this game. She danced her fingers across his thigh and scraped her nail along the rapidly-growing bulge beneath his zipper. She knew what he was packing, and couldn’t wait to feel him inside her again.
“Eyes on the road, buster,” she ordered.
His chuckle sounded a little strained as she lowered the zipper and worked her hand into his briefs, drawing out her quarry. Chad turned to stone as she glided her palm over his length. His hips jerked when she ran her short nails over the dips and ridges at the tip.
“What’s the matter?” she asked with false innocence.
“Nothing I can’t take care of when we get home,” he growled.
“Promises, promises.”
“Hey.” He sent her a wounded glance. “I delivered the goods the first time, didn’t I?”
Her thighs clenched around his hand in memory of how decadent he’d made her feel, despite the fast and furious pace of their first coupling. He pressed his fingers against her core, teasing and stroking. Her body hummed to his cadence.
“How much farther?” She parted her thighs as she continued palming his length.
“You know the area better than I do.” He removed his fingers. “You tell me.”
“I think we’re close.”
Chad moaned softly as her hand worked his shaft. “I think we are too.”
Cat looked out the window, recognizing the strip mall closest to her condo, and guided him back to her building. A few minutes later he stopped in the visitors’ lot and tidied himself before exiting the car.
“Problems?” She batted her eyelashes playfully.
He smirked. “Nothing I can’t take care of in about ten minutes.”
“Are you sure you can last that long?”
“Hey,” he scolded as they entered the lobby. “That was below the belt.”
“So?” Cat pressed the call button for the elevator. “Whatcha gonna do about it?”
The doors whispered open and Chad ushered her inside the empty car. He cornered her and forked his fingers into her long, curly hair, his lips a scant inch from hers. She held her breath, silently begging him to kiss her as he trailed his hands down her neck and her breasts.
“I’m going to wait until we get upstairs,” he rasped, settling his hands at her waist.
Her body screamed in agony over the unfulfilled wish. Frustrated, she bit back a curse. The elevator rose slowly up to the top floor. Her heart pounded, and she couldn’t wait to get him inside. The car halted at her floor. Cat grabbed his hand, dragging him into her living room.
He chuckled. “What’s your rush?”
“Are you seriously asking me that?” Her voice was high-pitched.
“No.” His expression sobered. “I want you beneath me, moaning my name as you come.”
She didn’t bother offering a nightcap. Instead they ascended the stairs to her bedroom. Moonlight filtered through the sheer curtains, illuminating her bedspread, the red roses iridescent against the black background.
His tongue glided over hers. “Why can’t I get enough of you?”
“Makes two of us.”
Cat reached for his belt, slipping the supple leather through the loops as she unfastened his pants. Her fingers made quick work of his tie and deftly unbuttoned his shirt. He stood before her, completely naked. She ran her hands over his chest, lightly raking her nails over his flat nipples. They pebbled beneath her touch, and she couldn’t resist a taste. Her tongue outlined one peak before catching it with her teeth.
He moaned, grasping her arms in his hands. “You’re wearing too many clothes.”
Chad undressed her with an urgency she’d never seen in any of her previous lovers and gently laid her on the bed, his eyes smoldering with desire.
“You’re so beautiful.” His mouth crashed down on hers, their tongues tangling with raw need as he ran his hands over her body. He broke the kiss and trailed his lips over her throat.
She whimpered when his teeth sunk into her earlobe. Her arms snaked around his waist and tugged. He collapsed against her, chuckling as she grabbed his ass with both hands.
“Please,” she begged.
“What do you want?” he asked, his lips still skimming the skin of her throat.
“You.” It wouldn’t take much to send her into orbit. “Please make love to me.”
He lifted his head and locked his gaze on hers. “I thought I was.”
“Not fast enough.” She ground her pelvis against his.
Chad released a full-blown laugh, amusement twinkling in his eyes. “It seems I have a tiger in my bed.”
He pinned her beneath him, his chest pressed against her breasts. His thigh wedged between hers, the hair-roughened flesh abrading against her wet heat. But it didn’t stop her from trying to roll on top of him. Her attempt was successful, but she suspected it was because he let her. She straddled his hips with her thighs, scooting back until his cock stood tall in front of her.
Cat pressed her mouth to his chest, licking, sucking and nibbling each ridge of muscle as she glided her hands over his sides. She took his length in her hands, stroking possessively. She’d never been a fan of fellatio, but he inspired her to try it again. She slid farther down so that she could take him into her mouth. She swirled the tip of her tongue over the head before running the flat down the length of his shaft.
His hips bucked beneath her touch. She took as much of him into her mouth as she could manage, licking, sucking, and swirling her tongue around the edges of the tip. His moans of pleasure egged her on.
“Stop.” He pushed against her shoulders, but Cat held tight. “No. Please, not like this.”
She released him with a loud pop. “Why not?”
He flipped her onto her back. “Because it’s my turn to take care of you.”
The naked lust in his eyes said more than his words. His control hung on by a thread. Well, so was hers, and she was ready to relinquish it to him. His lips trailed down her neck, his teeth scraping over her collarbone and the point of her shoulder as his fingers skimmed down her sides. She shivered as his mouth followed a path across her breasts.
He laved each peak with his tongue, turning the tips into sharp points as he grazed her nipples with his teeth. Arrows of hunger shot straight to her core as his mouth explored her flesh, leaving a damp trail over her stomach on his way to her thighs.
His tongue slid the length of her slit before delving into the slick channel, his teeth gently abrading her clit. She bucked beneath him, but his hands held her open as he continued his relentless assault on her core. Her head thrashed against her pillow as his fingers joined his tongue, and she hung on the edge of a precipice, begging him to make her come.
He didn’t make her wait. She soared into the light on a wave of pleasure so strong her whole body convulsed. As she came down from her high, Chad grabbed a condom from his wallet and quickly sheathed himself before positioning the head of his cock at the entrance of her body. In one smooth stroke he filled her completely.
She moaned, clutching his shoulders as he powered into her with the force of a man obsessed. She moved her hands to his hair, bringing his mouth to hers in a kiss as fierce as their lovemaking.
“What are you doing to
me?” he groaned, still thrusting into her welcoming heat.
She met his gaze. “The same thing you’re doing to me.”
He dropped his face into her neck as she wrapped her legs around his waist and grabbed his perfect buns, digging her nails into his flesh. She gasped as the angle of his thrust changed, his hand slipping between their bodies to stroke her center.
He suddenly withdrew from her, rolling her onto her stomach, and tapped her ass with the flat of his hand. “On your knees,” he growled.
Cat complied, bracing herself against the mattress as she remembered their first passionate encounter. Reality eclipsed memory when he slid into her again, pinching her nipples between his fingers as he set a hard, fast rhythm.
“Oh, that feels good,” she moaned. “Yes, just like that.”
“You feel good,” he said, hitting her sweet spot. “I’m close.”
“Do it,” she encouraged. Covering his hand with hers, she gave her nipple another pinch that sent curls of lust spiraling through her. “Let go.”
His answering growl was fierce as he drove into her, her body craving the hunger as much as his. He strained against her as he sent her into orbit again.
His length pulsed inside her. “I love you,” he roared when he too found his release.
Cat glowed, her heart pounding to the same wild rhythm as he held her against him.
“I love you too, Chad.” They’d only been working together four months, but it was long enough for her to get to know him as a man.
“Thank God.” He kissed her neck, his hand still fondling her breast. “I’ll be right back.”
While he took care of the condom, she scampered off the bed and drew the blankets down, climbing between the sheets without bothering to dress.
He joined her, covering them with the comforter, and curled his big body around hers. “I love that I don’t have to strain my neck when kissing you.” His lips nibbled her ear.
“Mmm,” she purred. “That feels nice.” His arms anchored her in place, her back to his front. “I love that you’ve accepted me for who I am.” He tensed behind her, but otherwise remained silent. She turned and faced him, cupping his stubbled cheek in her palm. “You have no idea how much that means to me. Thank you.”
His fingers sifted through her hair. “Your ex?”
“Kevin and I raced late models at Hickory,” she explained, trailing her fingers lazily over his forearm. “Only, I had more success than he did. He didn’t take too kindly to it and made me choose between him and my car.”
“I’m glad you chose the racecar. Jerks like him are a dime a dozen.”
“True.” Cat closed her eyes and reveled in the strength of Chad’s love as her heart rate returned to normal.
Chapter 7
On Friday Cat drove her car around the half-mile high-banked oval of the Bristol Motor Speedway. The grandstands towered all around the track, reminiscent of a Roman colosseum, not a bad seat in the house.
It suited her driving style best. She loved the bumps in the concrete surface, challenging her to maintain focus in preparation for Sunday’s 500-lap race. She’d always done well at short tracks, and the car was handling perfectly out of the gate for her first practice session.
She relayed her feedback to Chad and drove into the pits, parking in her garage stall so her crew could make some minor tweaks to the chassis. She climbed out of the car, immediately saw Frank Handy heading her way with Drew, and groaned softly.
“Problems?” Chad asked.
Did the man miss anything? “Nothing I can’t handle,” she said, her smile probably looking as phony as it felt, and stepped outside to greet her boss.
“Catalina,” Frank drawled, capturing her hands in his. “That was an amazing run. I expect great things come Sunday.”
Nausea churned in her gut. Frank’s palms were clammy, like a limp fish, and he grasped hers harder when she tried breaking the contact. His gaze switched from lewd to cold in the blink of an eye. Wary nervousness raised the hair on her neck.
“I’ll need my hands back, Mr. Handy.”
She hoped that, by calling him out, he’d release her. No such luck. Instead, his grip tightened. She glanced at Drew, her eyes pleading. Thankfully, her boss caught on.
“Frank, let me give you a tour of the hauler,” Drew said, guiding him in that direction.
“I’d rather have Cat show me around.” Frank guffawed at his own private joke.
“I’d love to, but I need to get back on the track for practice,” she said, her voice saccharine. She was successful in finally extracting herself from his hold. “Enjoy the tour.”
Cat returned to the garage and grabbed the hand sanitizer from the top of the tool chest, dousing her hands in the alcohol cleanser.
“What’s going on?” Gabe asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
“Apparently Mr. Handy got a little too handsy,” one of the other guys snickered. “I wouldn’t mind getting a handful myself.”
“Enough!” Chad’s voice boomed like thunder through the garage, the authority in his tone unmistakable. “One more comment like that and you’ll be out on your ass.”
“But it’s okay for you to bang fenders with her,” the right rear tire changer sneered at Chad. “What? Did you think you wouldn’t get caught?”
Chad’s body went rigid. “Keep it up, Ralph, and this will be your last race with AI.”
Cat winced. She didn’t want to be in Ralph’s shoes right now. She just hoped the man would do his job and not mess things up for her in the pits.
Then again, maybe replacing him would be best for everyone.
* * * *
Cat wove her car across the track, clearing the debris off her tires in anticipation for the restart with forty to go. She’d started on the outside pole, an amazing accomplishment for a rookie, and had maintained a top-ten position throughout the race. Chad had made the call on the last stop two laps ago, changing the two right-side tires instead of all four.
“Two to green,” Zane said through her headphones.
“Copy that,” she replied.
When she crossed the stripe for the start of the race, the anxiety swamping her disappeared as she focused on the task at hand—winning her first Sprint Cup race.
Cat held her line going into turns one and two, distancing herself from the second-place car by half a foot. Even at a half-mile, speeds still reached a blistering one hundred and twenty miles per hour, and she wasted no time in using her advantages to drive away from the car she’d just passed. Turn after turn, lap after lap, Cat fought off her competitors as Zane guided her through traffic.
“One-forty-two coming up on your left rear,” Zane said.
A split second later she felt the tap on her bumper. “Ten-four,” she replied to the transmission.
The car tried jumping out from under her, but quick reflexes kept her car going straight and steady down the front stretch. Thanks to Chad’s last adjustment the car was dialed in. She had a lot of respect for Jacob, and was fairly certain he wouldn’t deliberately wreck her. Unfortunately, some of the other guys had no such compunction. They’d stuff her in a heartbeat.
“One-forty-two on your left, one-twenty-two on your back bumper,” Zane informed her. “You’re still P-one.”
“Ten-four.” Like the 122. That guy was a dirty racer. Cat maintained control of her car and kept her nose ahead of Jacob as they headed into turn three. The 122 tapped her bumper coming out of four with seven laps to go. The car wanted to wash up the track, but Cat held her line, thwarting the other driver’s desire to go high. “Not today, jerk,” she said out loud, though not into her headset. “You want to pass me, you do it on the low side.”
Jacob Stettler was still to her inside, almost as if he was guarding the low line for her.
“Five to go,” Chad said as Cat crossed the stripe one more time. “Still P-one.”
Even though she could almost taste her first win, Cat maintained her cool, fending off her compet
itors as they bumped and banged behind her. The wheel jerked in her hands going over the bumps on the backstretch, but she kept control heading into turn three. The 122 tapped her bumper again, harder.
She corrected, keeping her car straight and out of the 142. “I don’t think so.”
“White flag,” Zane said as Cat zipped past the front stretch.
Her hands shook with the adrenaline surging through her bloodstream, but she tamped it down. Four corners, she reminded herself. One at a time. Through her peripheral vision she saw the 142 nose ahead of her coming out of two onto the backstretch, but she had the preferred line heading into three and retook the lead coming out of turn four. The 122 banged into the door of the car to his right as they hurtled toward the finish line.
“Yes!” she shouted into her headset. “Great job, boys!”
“Congrats, Cat,” Chad said, the undisguised admiration audible.
The 142 brushed her right-side door in a time-honored tradition of congratulating the winner. She flashed Jacob a thumbs-up as her car rolled down the backstretch.
“See you in Victory Lane, boys!” she shouted into her headset.
Cat wasn’t confident with burn-outs yet, so she caught the flag from the official and drove the opposite direction around the track in salute to the fans. The Polish Victory Lap had been made famous by former champion Alan Kulwicki, and was still practiced by many drivers twenty-five years after his tragic passing.
The event had been a sell-out, and none of the fans had left. They were all on their feet, and most of them were cheering for her. She’d unofficially become the first woman in history to win a Sprint Cup race.
Turning around on the backstretch, she headed for the ramp leading to Victory Lane. When she stopped the car, Deanna instructed her to stay put until the cameras were ready as she disengaged the safety equipment. She hid her flash of impatience. I want to celebrate, damn it!
Finally, Dee gave her the signal and she shimmied out of the car. Standing on the window ledge, she pumped her fists and screamed at the top of her lungs. Champagne rained down on her in big, sweeping arcs from her teammates as confetti exploded into the air.